Thursday, December 24, 2015

Brightest and Best, Lessons from an Old Christmas Hymn

“Brightest and best of the sons of the morning; Lord
of our darkness and lend us thine aid. Star of the East the horizon aborning;
Guide where our infant redeemer is laid…”

It’s an old hymn of
Christmas that we learned via a more contemporary arrangement. Through the
years the poignancy of the poetic verse has held special meaning for us in so
many of our life’s adventures. This year was no exception. Strange as it may
seem, this year’s “Brightest and Best” adventure started with the bright and
warm sun of the Central American country of Belize.

Richard and Debbie in Belize City for a 'visa vacation'

They’re often referred to
in the mission worker community as ‘visa vacations’. For those of us working in
Guatemala on a tourist visa, after six months in the country (following a
90-day renewal) we are required to leave the country for at least three days,
after which we get a stamp in our passport and the cycle starts over again. For
our most recent visa vacation, we traveled to Belize City where we stayed by
the ocean, took many long walks, and enjoyed the local cuisine. In researching
our trip to Belize, we failed to discover that our Guatemalan phones would not
work once we crossed the international border. Though many of our younger
Guatemalan contacts are comfortable with email and social media as a means of
communication, our older friends (read: from our generation) are more
comfortable communicating via phone. So, it was via the hotel’s Wi-Fi
connection we received a note from the son of one of our contemporaries
informing us about his dad. “My father has been trying to call you but hasn’t
been able to get through. He wants you to know that while he was doing some
work at the church center he punctured his leg on a wire. Because of his
diabetes, the wound has not been healing and now there’s an infection. He’s
laid up at home now. The doctor at the clinic said that if they can’t get the
infection under control, he could lose his foot. He’s hoping he can get in
touch with you so that you can ask his partners in the US to pray for him.”

Julian Ico

His name is Julian Ico. He’s
been a fixture in the indigenous communities of the Guatemalan Presbyterian
Church for longer than we can remember. His involvement in his local church as
pastor, his involvement in his local Q'eqchí Polochic presbytery as secretary,
and his work with several church-wide committees has earned him a reputation as
a solid leader and faithful disciple among his indigenous counterparts and
non-indigenous friends in Guatemala, the US, and Canada. It didn’t seem to
appear to him that his network of North American contacts might represent
available resources to get him access to medical care that otherwise would be
outside of his financial reach. His message to me was to contact the people he
knows in North America to ask for prayers for his healing. So, from our hotel
by the sea, we sent a message out to Julian’s partners and friends.

“Say shall we offer some costly devotion; Odors of
Edom and offerings divine? Gems from the mountain and pearls from the ocean;
Myrrh from the forest and gold from the mine?"

Crossing back into
Guatemala, the bars on our phones lit up once again and we placed a call to
Julian. He sounded pretty bad. We told him that we had gotten the word out and
that his friends were praying for him. “Gracias hermano, muchas gracias”, he
kept saying. We also told him that there were sure to be people amongst his
friends who will feel led to provide him with some help in getting some medical
attention. “What would the cost be for you to come to the city and visit the
clinic here?” He had no idea. He didn’t see that as an option. He was asking
for prayer, not for money. He told me he would check into it and get back to
me. Several days later, after checking with the local health center, he gave me
the list of tests he should have and the possible medications he might need.

Maria in our backyard garden

Julian in his new running shoes

Indeed his partners and
friends did respond. And after several failed attempts to get Julian
transported from his village to Cobán, he arrived with his wife Maria to stay
with us while he visited the clinic. He had consultations and tests surrounding
his diabetes, his infected foot and resulting leg pain, as well as consultation
for stomach pain (later diagnosed as kidney stones). After the consultations, blood
tests, ultrasounds, and more consultations, Julian was prescribed several
different internal and topical medications. His doctor also suggested some
different shoes that might offer some cushioning for his leg and would not
interfere with the wound on his foot. So, after a visit to the local running
shoe store, he had a flashy pair of running shoes to compliment his other
treatments. Though thinner and weaker than we’ve ever seen him, he was in good
spirits as they prepared to return home.

"Vainly we offer each ample oblation. Vainly with gifts
would his favor secure. Richer by far is the heart’s adoration. Dearer to God
are the prayers of the poor."

Julian and family around our breakfast table

The time in our home
passed by all too quickly; and as we sat around the breakfast table before
heading to the bus for home, Julian and Maria (through Julian’s translation as
Maria speaks only her native Q'eqchí language) took turns thanking us for our
hospitality and asking us to be sure and contact everyone in order to thank
them for their generosity in support of his healing. Then we prayed together.
Julian in Spanish, Maria in Q'eqchí; lifting their voices with a humility and gratitude
that comes from people who know what it is to depend entirely on God for everything
in their lives. The prayer brought a new and profound meaning to the last
sentence of that old hymn.

In sharing this old hymn
and this new story we share Julian’s, as well as our thanks to you for your
part in this unfolding miracle. Many of you had the opportunity to pray for
Julian and to support him in his healing process. Many of you pray for us, read
our post, visit and communicate with us, and support us in our work here. Your
faces and names were in our thoughts as Julian prayed for us and for you.
Truly, “Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.”

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Richard and Debbie Welch

PC(USA) Mission Co-Workers in Guatemala

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